Device for closing filling openings of liquid containers



H. a. DIBELKA El l. 2,099,558

Nov. 16, 1937.

DEVICE FOR CLOSING FILLING OPENINGS OF LIQUID CONTAINERS Filed April 25," 19 32 Patented Nov. 16, 1937 um'rao STATES PATENT or-Pica crassasssr' Henry a. Dibela and John D. cnmmonimo,

claim-to The Norlipp Company, Chicue. m. a moon r Illinois m Ape-ll :5, 1m, Serial No. was:

a cum. (o1. zen-as This invention relates to a device for closing the filling openings of liquid storage vessels such.

as automobile gasoline tanks and the like.

An important object of the invention is to pro- I vide'a device of this class which .will close the filling opening in such a way as to effectively prevent fraudulent removal of the contents of the vessel.

A further object of the invention is to provide 1.. a device for closing liquid containers comprising a cover cap having a supporting member adapted to depend therefrom through the filling opening into the container, and in combination therewith a cap-anchoring mechanism disposed withu in the container limiting the upward movement of the cap, said mechanism including a plurality of resilient strip members so positioned relative to the supporting member as to effectively preventattempted removal of liquid by the in- 90 sertion of a tube or pipe through the filling opening.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in connection with the 25 accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing: Fig. 1 is a broken elevational view' of the device positioned in the filling opening of a liquid 30 container, the cover cap being shown in closed position onthe end of the filling tube; and Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the device taken at right angles to the section of Fig. 1, the view showing the. cover cap moved to open position on the filling tube.

. In the drawing, the numeral 5 designates the body portion of a liquid-containing vessel such as an automobile gasoline tank, or the like, and the numeral 6 designates the filling tube of the tank through which liquid may be introduced. The upper end of filling tube 6 is turned inwardly to provide aarim I, the inner edge of the latter in turn being bent downwardly to provide a retainopening. Flange l6 and bracket l2 are secured in place by a rivet l! which rigidly connects these parts to the under face of the cap. A leather gasket I8, disposed about flange IS on the under face of cap 9, engages against the rim 1 of tube 6 to provide'an air-tight seal for the filling opening. 1 An air hole i0 is provided in cap 9, and a second 1 air hole is provided in flange i6, these holes being positioned out of alignment with one another, as shown in Fig. l, to prevent possible loss of liquid by splashing. A pin l9 extending be- 20 tween'the arms of bracket l2 engages in a loop or eye 2| formed on the upper end of rod II to provide pivotal connectionbetween the latter and bracket II.

The strip members l3 are formed of resilient sheet metal and are secured at their lower ends to collar ll. These strip members l3 may be stamped from a single piece of sheet steel, the lower edge portion of the piece from which the strips are stamped being left intact to provide a continuous rim or strip portion 23 which is wrapped around collar l4 and secured in place by rivets 22. Collar l4 comprises an inwardly converging side wall 24, and an in-turned flange 25 Y which may be formed integrally with side wall 24. 85 Strip members l3, being rigidly secured to the inwardly converging side wall 24, tend to diverge outwardly to bring the upper ends thereof against the under face of rim 1. Since these strips are formed of resilient material, they have a natural tendency to spread laterally, so that after they have been compressed sufficiently to pass through the opening in the upper end of filling tube 6, they will immediately spread outwardly to engage theunder face of rim 1.

Coil spring i5 is shaped in the form of a ta pered helix, the upper convolution of the .0011 being held in place in the annular pocket formed by fiange 25 and the lower edge portion of strip 23. The lower end of spring I5 is wound around rod II and is held thereon by lips 26 formed on the lower end of said rod. The upward pressure exerted .by spring l5 on flange 25 holds the upper ends of strip members l3 firmly against the under difllcult to pull them inwardly sumcient'lyjoa clear flange 8 even when pushed downwardly far enough to clear the lower edge of the latter.

When it is desired to introduce liquid into the' vessel, it is merely necessary, to pullnpwardly on cap I until bracket l2 clears the edge .0! the filling tube 8, in which position rod ll may be swung to one side to allow 'the cover cap to be pivoted to vertical open position, as shown in Fig. 2. Cap 9 and rod ll thus serve as stinea'ns for-preventing removal of spring a II and strip members II from the container. and at the same time said spring and strip members limit the upward movement of rod II to prevent complete removaLoLthe cap from, the. container. If desired, a chainmay be used in place of rod ll for interconnecting spring I! and cover cap 8.

In the embodiment shown, it will be noted that strip members I! are spaced quite closely to one another on collar ll, the intervening spaces 21 being relatively narrow. The purpose of this is to make it impossible for one to fraudulently remove the contents of the container by inserting a tube between an adjacent pair of the members It, Also, it will be noted that the coils of spring It, in the position of the cap shown in Fig. 2, completely close off the space intervening between the edge of flange II and the lower end of rod II. It therefore would be impossible for one to draw liquid from the container by attempting to insert a tube either through the slot-like openlugs 21 or through the opening in dollar N. The device thus provides means for effectively preventing theft of liquid from the container. However, it does not materially interfere with the filling of the container since liquid readily flows between the openings 21 and also between the coils of spring I5. To further avoid obstruction of the in-coming liquid, strip members II are provided with openings 28 through which liquid may freely flow to the interior of the container. The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible in view of the prior art. I

What we regard as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for closing the filling opening of a liquid container comprising a cover cap, a supporting member connected to the under face of said cap and adapted to depend therefrom through the filling opening into the container, and an anchor assembly adapted to be positioned on the interior of the' container for limiting the upward movement of said cap on the container,

said assembly including a base having an opening therein for receiving said supporting member,

a plurality of outwardly, biased resilient strip members supported at their lower ends on said base, said members being arranged to permit free passage of liquid into the container while affording obstruction of a siphoning means therein, and means carried by said supporting member for yieldingly pressing said strip members upwardly against the walls of the filling opening.

2. A device for closing the filling opening of a liquid container comprising a cover cap, a supaoeasss said. assembly f including a basej'having an i'o'peningthenein for receiving said suppo'rting' memher, a plurality of resilient strip members supported at their lower ends on said base, said members being biased outwardly on the base to position .the upper ends thereof beyond the walls of the filling opening, and means carried by said supporting members-for yieldingly pressing said "strip membersupwardly against the walls of the filling "opening, said strip members being spaced relatively close to oneanother around said supporting member to substantially close the space between the latter and the walls of the filling opening. V

A device for closing the filling opening of a liquid container comprising a cover cap, a supupper ends thereof beyond the walls of the filling opening, and means carried by said supporting member for yieldingly pressing said strip members upwardly against the walls of the filling opening, said strip members being spaced relatively close to one another around said supporting member and having perforations formed therein, whereby to allow free fiow of liquid into the container while substantially closing the space between said supporting member and the walls of the filling opening.

4. A device for closing the filling opening of a liquid container having a flange projecting downwardly from the walls of the opening comprising, in combination, a cover cap, a supporting member adapted to depend from the'under face of said capthrough the filling opening into the container, and means adapted to be positioned on the interior of the container for limiting the upward movement of said cap on the container, said means including a frame piece having an opening therein for receiving said supporting member connected to the "under face of porting member, a plurality of outwardly biased resilient strip members supported on said frame piece, said frame piece being smaller in dimension than the filling opening and said strip members being arranged thereon in position to permit free passage of liquid into the container while affording obstruction to introduction of a siphoning means therein, and yielding means interposed between the supporting member and said frame piece for pressing said strip members upwardly against the walls of the container adjoining said flange.

' 5. A device for closing the filling opening of a liquid container having a flange projecting downwardly from the walls of the opening comprising, in combination, a cover cap, a supporting member adapted to depend from the under face of said cap through the filling opening into the container, and means adapted to be positioned on the interior of the container for limiting the upward movement of said cap on the container, said means including a frame piece having an opening therein for receiving said supporting member. a plurality of outwardly biased resilient strip members supported on said frame piece, said frame piece being smaller in dimension than the filling opening and said strip members being arranged thereon in position to permit free passage of liquid into the container while affording obstruction to introduction of a siphoning means therein, and yielding means comprising a coiled spring interposed between the supporting member and said frame piece for pressing said strip members upwardly against the walls of the container adjoining said flange.

6. A device for closing the filling opening of a liquid container having a flange projecting downwardly from the walls of the opening comprising, in combination, a cover cap, a supporting member adapted to depend from the under face of said cap through the filling opening into the container, and means adapted to be positioned on the interior of the container for limiting the upward movement of said cap on the container, said means including a frame piece having an opening therein for receiving said supporting member, a plurality of resilient strip members supported on said frame piece, said frame piece being smaller in dimension than the filling opening and said strip members being biased outwardly thereon, whereby to position the upper ends thereof beyond said flange after the frame piece and strip member assembly has been inserted through the filling opening, and yielding means interposed between the supporting member and said frame piece for pressing said strip members upwardly against the walls of "he container adjoining said flange, said strip members being spaced relatively close to one another around said supporting member to substantially close the space between the latter and the walls of the filling opening.

'7. A device for closing the filling opening of a liquid container having a flange projecting downwardly from the walls of the opening comprising, in combination, a cover cap, a supporting member adapted to depend from the under face'of said cap through the filling opening into the container, and means adapted to be positionecl on the interior of the container for limiting the upward movement of said cap on the container, said means including a frame piece having an opening therein for receiving said supporting member, a plu ality of resilient strip members supportedv on said frame piece, said f1 ame piece being smaller in dimension than the filling opening and said strip members being biased outwardly thereon, whereby to position the upper ends thereof beyond said flange after the frame piece and strip member assembly has been inserted through the-filling opening, and yielding means comprising a coiled spring interposed between the supporting member and said frame piece for pressing said strip members upwardly against the walls of the container adjoining said flange, said strip members being spaced relatively close to one another around said supporting member to substantially close the space between the walls of the filling opening and said frame piece and the coils of said spring being adapted to substantially close the space between said supporting member and the frame piece when the cap is moved to open position on the container.

8. A device for closing the filling openlng of a liquid container comprising, in combination,

an anchor assembly adapted to be positioned on the interior of the container, said assembly in- I eluding a plurality of resilient strip members arranged around the filling opening in position to permit free passage of liquid into the container while affording obstruction to introduction of a siphoning means therein, a cover cap provided on itsunder face with a centering flange for engaging iii the fill ng opening, a supporting member adapted to depend from the under face of said cap through the filling opening into the container, and means interposed between said anchor assembly and said supporting member for yieldingly pressing said strip members upwardly against the walls of the filling opening.

HENRY G. DIBELKA, JOHN D. CRAMER. 

